Thomas girvan



(No Model.)

T. GIRVAN. APPARATUS FOR. CLEANING AND ASSORTING SAND. No. 405,782. Patented June 25, 1889,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS GIRVAN, OF NEW' YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANIN G AND ASSORTING SAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 405,732, dated June 25, 1889.

Application filed February 9, 1888. Serial No. 263,531. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS GIRVAN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Cleaning and Assorting Sand, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention has reference to apparatus for cleaning and asserting sand for the purpose of bringing the same to the best condition for actual use; and the said invention consists in the improvements, hereinafter described and explained, whereby the primary materialz'. 6., sand, loam, and generally vegetable and other foreign matteris first effectively heated and dried, so that all moisture is removed therefrom, and then independently subjected to a screening operation, wherein the agitation of the screens enables the loam and other foreign matter to be withdrawn through the agency of an exhaust-fan, while the resultant sand passes through the screens to be graded and assorted.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of the improved apparatus for cleaning and assortin g sand, and Fig. 2 is an elevation representing a modified form of elevator for delivering the primary material to the receiving end of the drier.

In Fig. 1., A designates a drier consisting of a vertical closed chamber contracted at its top a, at which point a receiving-hopper b is.

located, and having a feeding device a. Interiorly the chamber is provided with a series of transverse horizontal shelves B, which are triangular in cross-section and arranged to alternate with the shelves in the tiers above and below. A steam-pipe 0 passes through each shelf and serves to heat the same, so that its faces will radiate heat. A hopper C is located at one side of the drier and receives the material in its primary condition from the cars D, moving upon the track d, adjacent to said hopper O, or by any other suitable transporting medium. An inclined elevator-frame E is provided at its ends with rollers e, around which passes an endlesscarrier-belt F, provided with buckets f. The lower extremity of this endless carrier extends into the hopper C, while its upper end. is immediately over the receiving-hopper Z? of the drier. Thebottom G of the drier is inclined at one side of the drier.

of links downward toward a discharge opening g, formed in the lower portion of the drier and communicating with a receptacle II, located An inclined elevator-frame I is provided with endless carrier J, similar to the one previously described, and

the lower extremity of said carrier J extends into the receptacle H, while the upper end extends over a hopper h, located in the, side of a screening apparatus K. This latter ap paratus consists of a closed chamber, in which are'located a series of superimposed horizontal screens i, of diiferent mesh, and each pivotally suspended within the chamber by means A horizontal slot 76 is formed in the side of the chamber adjacent to one of the links of each screen, so as to enable the said link to be connected to suit-able devices for horizontally vibrating the screen within the chamber. The side L of the chamber is provided with a series of transverse openings Z, through each of which extends the open end of one of the screens t, to deliver its tailing to a discharge a. The top of the screeningchamber is provided with a circular opening N, in which is placed an exhaust-fan M, driven in any suitable manner.

In operation the primary material in a moist condition is transported to and deposited in the receptacle C, from which it is taken by the first endless carrier and delivered to the receiving-hopper of the drier, so that it can be thoroughly heated by the shelves to cause the moisture to be completely driven therefrom. The exhaust-fan Q removes the moist ure from the inclosed chamber as rapidly as it is evolved from the material. The said primary material in a thoroughly-dried c011- dition passes to the receptacle H, from which it is quickly and continuously removed by the endless carrier J and delivered to the hopper 71, through which it passes to the screens. The agitation of the screens throws the loam and other foreign matter to a position to be freely acted upon by the exhaust action of the fan M, and causes the said loam and other foreign matter to be broken up, so that it is completely lifted from the sand and discharged to the atmosphere. The feature of first heating and drying the primary material and then quickly and independently agitat ing the sand by means-of screens to assortit and'reduce the loam, &c., to enable its ready separation, is the most important advan ce-in the art of treating sand for unless the primary material is thoroughly dry when it enters the screening-chamber the 10am, &c., would'be in a more or less heavy and compacted condition, preventing theTree action of the screens to grade the sand and resisting the action of the fan N to elevate and remove the loam, &c. If it were attempted to drive ofi the moisture coincident with I the screening operation, the vapor above the material would saturate the loam, &c., as it began to ascend and cause it to become heavy and drop back upon the screen. Hence it is that sand treated by my improved apparatus is in a much better condition as regards grade and purity than any previous article of which I have been advised. Another benefit incident to my improvement consists in the fact that the loam and foreign matter cannot clog the meshes of the screens or interfere with the separating and assortin g operation generally. 

